Judge Abruptly Quits, Walks Off Bench at Lunchtime

Judge Bryan Hedges quits Family Court, leaves job abruptly at mid-day
The Post-Standard by Post-Standard  -  April 6, 2012

Syracuse, NY - Onondaga County Family Court Judge Bryan Hedges abruptly left his job on the bench Thursday and is not expected to return.  Fifth Judicial District Administrative Justice James Tormey referred all questions about Hedges to a state administrative judge whose office referred calls to David Bookstaver, the public information officer for the Office of Court Administration.  "All I know is he resigned for personal reasons," Bookstaver reported today when asked for any information about Hedges and his sudden departure from the bench Thursday. Hedges, 65, of Syracuse, is currently in his third 10-year term on the Family Court bench where he has served since 1985. He previously worked as an assistant district attorney, a deputy county attorney and a law clerk for a couple of judges.  He has not been available for comment since Thursday evening. Court personnel said Hedges presided over a morning calendar of cases Thursday before he ended up in a lengthy meeting with a visiting state administrative judge. Hedges then left his court chambers and the Onondaga County Courthouse around mid-day Thursday and court personnel reported being told he had submitted a resignation to take effect before the end of the month and that he would not be back to work.  Family Court Judge Martha Walsh Hood, who currently is handling matrimonial cases in the state Office Building, reportedly was summoned to handle the session of court in Hedges' courtroom Thursday afternoon, court personnel reported. When contacted Thursday evening about Hedges' sudden departure from court, Tormey declined comment and referred all calls to Judge Michael Coccoma, the deputy chief administrative judge for courts outside of New York City.  This morning, someone in Hedges' chambers gave a court officer a note with Coccoma's name and phone number on it to give to a reporter who had asked to see anyone on Hedges' office staff.  Tormey then had one of his court officers direct a reporter to contact Coccoma's office. After the reporter left Tormey's office, Tormey sent a court officer to get the reporter to return only to invite the reporter into his chambers to decline comment and tell the reporter to call Coccoma's office or Hedges.  Coccoma's office this morning referred all calls to Bookstaver, who later responded that he had been told Hedges had resigned.